Chapter 12: Life Spirit Pearl

A figure scaled the wall, vaulted over the town gate, and leaped into Qingyang Town.

In the backyard of an inn, a whooshing wind sound passed by. Ye Yun landed softly. He quietly subdued the inn attendant and silently made his way to the second floor.

The hollow echo of rustling wind filled the air. Ye Yun slipped into a guest room and emerged soon after, his body stained with patches of blood. Then he infiltrated another room. When he came out, he was escorting an old man away from the inn.

“Young Master, spare this old servant. This old servant had no choice. If I hadn’t come, my whole family would have died without a burial place.”

In the wilderness, a kneeling figure pleaded bitterly to a tall, standing silhouette.

Ye Yun stared at the familiar face of the old servant, who had even cared for him when he was young. Who would have thought he could be so despicable and treacherous? Ye Yun asked numbly, “After I left, what major events actually happened in the Ye Family?”

The old servant hurriedly replied, “Reporting to the Young Master, after you left that night, the Clan Leader fell seriously ill for several days. During those days, the Yan Family sent people several times, saying they wanted to invite you to the Yan Family to discuss canceling the marriage engagement. In truth, they wanted to kidnap you while the Clan Leader was gravely ill. Fortunately, the Grand Elder stood by the Clan Leader’s side. After several clashes with the Yan Family, their people finally retreated in shame.”

The Yan Family… Ye Yun felt unusually angry.

“Not long after, the Second Elder and the Third Elder joined forces. They threatened the Clan Leader to make a choice, to select the Second Elder as the head of the Ye Family. The Grand Elder initially trusted the Second Elder, but later learned that the Second Elder had already allied with the Qin Family. So he stopped supporting the Second and Third Elders. Instead, he continuously protected the Clan Leader. Now the Ye Family is split into two factions. One faction is the Alliance-with-Qin faction led by the Second and Third Elders. The other is the Independent faction of the Grand Elder and the Clan Leader. The two sides are locked in a stalemate. The Alliance-with-Qin faction has already started purging the Ye Family’s businesses and now controls more than half of the Ye Family. To seize complete power over the Ye Family, the Second Elder ordered this old servant to bring Qin Family assassins to…”

Peng!

Before the old servant could finish speaking, his life ended. His chest was shattered by a palm strike.

“What a Ye He, what a Ye Xinghe, what a Qin Family…!” Ye Yun faced the direction of Red Cloud City. His mind was filled with the image of Ye Yuan. At that moment, he wished he could grow wings and fly back.

“Unfilial descendants, actually committing such heinous acts of seizing power! Ye Yun, go back and kill those two worthless beasts for me.” Uncle Han shouted angrily.

“Uncle Han, didn’t you just remind me? Going back now is like courting death. Ye He and Ye Xinghe are both Flesh Immortal Eighth Layer experts. I need at least Flesh Immortal Fifth or Sixth Layer strength to face them directly. A fight to the death is still uncertain.”

Whoosh!

A white light suddenly flew out from between Ye Yun’s eyebrows. Ye Yun’s body shuddered. Floating in the air before him was a white pearl the size of an eyeball.

The white pearl was transparent yet hazy, accompanied by swirling clouds. It emitted a sacred and mysterious white glow. As it slowly rotated, it released a vast, overwhelming power that made Ye Yun feel like he was suffocating.

Uncle Han’s solemn voice then rang out, “This is the Life Spirit Pearl formed from my entire life’s essence. It was refined from my lifelong power. I originally intended to pass it to you only after you completely broke through to Earth Immortal. But now there’s no time. Moreover, this moment is also the most crucial one for you, to repair your Dantian. Dantian Qi is very profound. Once you use my power to cultivate your Dantian, you will possess an immortal destiny that others will envy.”

“Life Spirit Pearl?”

“Once you cultivate to Heavenly Immortal, you can refine a Life Spirit Pearl. Its form can vary greatly; it could be a sword, it could be a blade, ever-changing. What remains constant is that inside lies the cultivator’s eternal power, including cultivation techniques and so on.”

“Uncle Han, this… this is so important!” For a moment, Ye Yun stammered.

“Uncle Han is already dead. Keeping it is useless. From now on, you will use it for cultivation. This Destiny Spirit Pearl was prepared for you all along. After all these years, I finally waited for your appearance… Not just for you, but also for the Ye Family. This Destiny Spirit Pearl is very extraordinary. It was formed from Uncle Han sacrificing his life. A tremendous power is sealed within it. If you can one day assimilate that power, then the Ye Family will not only become the number one great family on the Purple Jade Continent, but may even become the Supreme Ruler of the Purple Jade Continent, and beyond…”

“That power?” Ye Yun’s mind and body stirred, suddenly thinking of something. “Uncle Han, could it be related to that secret you mentioned?”

“Correct, that power… everyone in the world desires it. It was originally used by the Xuanwu Sect. Later, it was stolen by a powerful expert from our clan, which led to a river of bloodshed in the Ye Family. Uncle Han exhausted his lifelong power and finally managed to extract a portion of that power. He refined and Sealed it within his Destiny Spirit Pearl. Only a Destiny Spirit Pearl can Seal it, can Suppress that power.”

“A power from the Xuanwu Sect…!”

“Back then, that powerful expert from our clan was also my blood brother. Before he died, he personally entrusted that power to me, hoping I could refine it and then help the Ye Family grow strong. He hoped the Ye Family could stand atop the Purple Jade Continent, and even more hoped the Ye Family could produce a Half-Immortal. Unfortunately, my power was too weak, and I underestimated that power too much. While cultivating it, I suffered backlash and nearly died on the spot. Although I didn’t die, it was almost the same as death. In the end, I had no choice but to extract a portion of the power—just one ten-millionth—and it drained all my power. Now, this power has been completely refined and Sealed within the Destiny Spirit Pearl. Ye Yun, this is your destiny, your immortal destiny. It is also mine, and the Ye Family’s immortal destiny. Everything now rests in your hands.” Uncle Han solemnly admonished.

After listening, Ye Yun felt deeply unsettled. Pressure and astonishment swirled like a vortex in his mind. Ye Yun asked curiously, “What exactly is that power?”

Uncle Han said, “I will tell you when you attain Heavenly Immortal cultivation. Only then will you be qualified to know. Right now, you are not only weak, but your mind is also immature. You still need to experience and train. When you have truly grown and matured, Uncle Han will naturally tell you.”

“Alright!”

Ye Yun asked no more. He gripped that Destiny Spirit Pearl. After a pause, he buried the old servant’s body and returned to Wolf Mountain to cultivate.

At Wolf Mountain, within the stone tower, a mysterious halo of light emerged.

Ye Yun sat cross-legged. His body flickered with waves of white light, like a statue of white jade.

At this moment, inside Ye Yun’s Dantian, that Destiny Spirit Pearl hovered at the core of the Dantian. The Dantian was enveloped in crimson Blood Essence Qi. The zigzagging crack was still constantly absorbing the Blood Essence Qi.

Simultaneously, the Destiny Spirit Pearl slowly emanated faint white power. This power miraculously filled the Dantian, was absorbed by the Dantian, and then permeated every part of Ye Yun’s body.

Instantly, Ye Yun sensed an ancient, vast aura. It was sacred and enormous, like the heavens and earth, vaster than stars, akin to the sun and moon. His physical strength increased once again.

That mysterious power merged one by one with his blood, Dantian, flesh, bones, sinews, muscles, and cells. The power slowly fused with Ye Yun’s body over time.

This fusion felt like water being absorbed by dry soil, yet also like the mating of animals—mysterious yet natural. An ancient aura emanated from Ye Yun’s body.

“Elder Brother, and countless ancestors of the Ye Family, your efforts, your hopes are emerging in this descendant. Do you see it?” Within the mysterious cluster of white light between his eyebrows, an ethereal little golden figure sighed to the sky.

This voice, Ye Yun naturally could not hear.

He was wholly absorbed in assimilating the miraculous power within the Life Spirit Pearl. He discovered that the power inside the Spirit Pearl was as vast as an ocean, as boundless as the stars. If he could use even a tiny fraction, he could roam the world unhindered.

The Dantian initially relied solely on Blood Essence Qi for repair, which was very slow. But now, with the help of the mysterious power, the Dantian actively began to regenerate, brewing limitlessly.

While Ye Yun was immersed in self-forgetting cultivation, a shocking piece of news arrived from distant Red Cloud City. Qin Ming of the Qin Family and Yan Linlang, daughter of Yan Zhan of the Yan Family, would hold their betrothal ceremony in three months, inviting the world to the feast.

And the Ye Manor also received an invitation.

Boom!

In the council hall, a large table was shattered by a single punch from Ye Yuan. Although his cultivation was crippled, the physique honed through a lifetime of hard training remained. His body still possessed formidable strength.

Ye Yuan sat in a wheelchair. His hair had turned completely white, like a man of sixty. He bore little resemblance to the vigorous Ye Yuan of before, though his eyes remained sharp and domineering.

Ye Wentian sat to one side. Next to him was a youth. This youth was just over twenty. He seemed to have no aura about him, but his eyes were profound. He politely said to Ye Yuan, “Clan Leader, please don’t get agitated.”

Ye Yuan looked at the youth, then said to Ye Wentian, “Uncle Tian, why has Yu’er returned from the Xuanwu Sect?”

Before Ye Wentian could speak, the youth spoke first. “As a member of the Ye Family, Ye Yu naturally had to return. To contribute whatever strength he can.”

“Yu’er speaks rightly. Don’t blame him. Let’s deal with the matter at hand first.” Ye Wentian spoke in support of the youth.

This youth was one of the few Ye Family disciples selected by the Xuanwu Sect. He was the Grand Elder Ye Wentian’s own grandson, Ye Yu. He had joined the Xuanwu Sect ten years ago and already possessed considerable cultivation.

“Last time, Yun’er publicly humiliated the Yan Family. Now the Yan Family is intentionally sending out invitations widely. They want to prove to everyone that it is the Yan Family who ended the engagement with the Ye Family. They want to thoroughly crush the Ye Family. I’m afraid when the time comes, the Qin Family and Ye He’s faction will move against us. Ye He…!” Speaking to this point, Ye Yuan suddenly raised his hand. His mind recalled that day in the bedroom, when he slapped Ye Yun. At that time, Ye Yun only suspected Ye He. Ye Yuan had been very stubborn and extreme.

Thinking of it now, Ye Yuan was filled with regret and self-reproach. A phrase involuntarily surfaced in his mind: Yun’er, do you still blame me?

After a long silence, Ye Wentian suddenly looked at Ye Yuan. “Shall we seek refuge there for now?”

Ye Yuan pondered for a while, then shook his head with a resolute expression. “We must not involve them unless it is absolutely the last resort. Uncle Tian, let’s wait a bit longer. If we truly cannot hold on, then we’ll make that decision.”

Ye Wentian instructed Ye Yu, “Yu’er, during this period, you guard the home well, understand?”

“Yes, Grandfather!” Ye Yu stood up and replied.

Ye Yuan gazed at the sky and said nothing more.